Moose on the loose backs up traffic in Bucksport

BUCKSPORT, Maine — A young, meandering moose caused a stir and a traffic jam in downtown Bucksport on Tuesday afternoon before police, biologists and game wardens were able to tranquilize and safely relocate the flustered animal.

The moose — believed to be a 1-year-old male — appears to have wandered into Bucksport from Orland sometime Tuesday afternoon. Police and the Fire Department kept an eye on the animal until it eventually walked into a fenced-in area not far from the downtown intersection of Routes 1, 3 and 15.

Traffic on the busy road slowed to a crawl just after 4 p.m. and crowds of onlookers watched from a distance as police, game wardens and biologists attempted to corral the moose behind a house beside the Hannaford supermarket. Police were forced to stop traffic briefly as the moose attempted to get away.

Bucksport police Sgt. David Winchester said the noise from trucks and traffic passing on the nearby road spooked the moose. Because of concerns for public safety, the animal was tranquilized, loaded into a pickup truck and driven to Orland, where it was released into the woods.

“The moose wasn’t injured at all,” Winchester said. “The biologists and wardens who helped us out getting it tranquilized did a fantastic job.”